AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
LDG AT-1000 Pro
1000-Watt Automatic
Memory Antenna Tuner
LDG Electronics
1445 Parran Road
St. Leonard MD 20685-2903 USA
Phone: 410-586-2177
Fax: 410-586-8475
ldg@ldgelectronics.com
www.ldgelectronics.com
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
Table Of Contents
Introduction! 3
Tuner Safety Warning! 3
Important Antenna Safety Warning! 3
Jumpstart, or “Real hams donʼt read manuals!”! 4
Specifications! 5
Getting to know your AT-1000 Pro! 6
Front Panel! 6
Rear Panel! 8
Installation! 8
Front Panel Button Description! 10
Power / Func Button! 10
Auto / Thresh Button! 10
Ant1 / Scale Button! 11
C Up / Peak Button! 11
C Dn Button! 12
L Up! 12
L Dn Button! 12
Tune/Store Button! 12
Operation - Basic! 13
Tun ing ! 13
A Word About Roll-Back Circuits! 13
Fully Automatic Mode! 13
Semi-Automatic Tuning: Request Memory Tune Cycle! 14
Semi-Automatic Tuning: Request Full Tune Cycle! 15
Operation - Fine Tuning! 16
Manually Adjusting Tuning Parameters! 16
Storing Manually Adjusted Tuning Parameters! 16
Operation - LED Blink Codes! 17
Application Hints! 18
MARS/CAP Coverage! 18
Icom Radio Interface! 18
Optional Yaesu Radio Interface! 18
Build-Your-Own Interface! 18
Theory of Operation! 19
Some basic ideas about impedance! 19
Transmitters, transmission lines, antennas, and impedance! 19
The LDG AT-1000 Pro! 21
A Word About Tuning Etiquette! 22
Care and Maintenance! 22
Technical Support! 22
Two-Year Transferrable Warranty! 22
Out Of Warranty Service! 23
Returning Your Product For Service! 23
Product Feedback! 24
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
INTRODUCTION
LDG pioneered the automatic, wide-range switched-L tuner in 1995. From its laboratories in
St. Leonard, Maryland, LDG continues to define the state of the art in this field with innovative
automatic tuners and related products for every amateur need.
Congratulations on selecting the AT-1000 Pro 1000-watt automatic tuner. The AT-1000 Pro
provides semi-automatic and fully automatic antenna tuning across the entire HF spectrum plus 6
meters, at power levels up to 1000 watts (SSB). It will tune dipoles, verticals, Yagis, or virtually
any coax-fed antenna. It will match an amazing range of antennas and impedances, far greater
than some other tuners you may have considered, including the built-in tuners on many radios.
The AT-1000 Pro is an upgrade from LDG’s previous AT-1000 kilowatt tuner, in that it now
supports fully automatic tuning (Just talk and it tunes!) with frequency-based memories for high
power amplifier applications.
TUNER SAFETY WARNING
The AT-1000 Pro internally switches a very large amount of radio frequency energy.
Tremendous RF currents flow through the tuner, and sometimes very high RF voltages are
present during operation. The AT-1000 Pro is designed to handle this RF energy safely within its
specifications, with a reasonable margin of safety.
However, be warned that some amateur amplifiers are capable of transmitting RF energy in
excess of the AT-1000 Pro’s maximum specifications. Some are capable of levels far in excess of
these specified maximum levels.
Operation under conditions exceeding the maximum specified ratings of the AT-1000 Pro
will cause damage to or destroy the AT-1000 Pro. Operation in significant excess of the
maximum specified power levels can actually cause explosion of internal components. For this
reason, and because of the lethal RF voltages present during normal operation, never operate
the AT-1000 Pro with the cover removed.
IMPORTANT ANTENNA SAFETY WARNING
Never install antennas or transmission lines over or near power lines. You can be
seriously injured or killed if any part of the antenna, support or transmission line touches
a power line. Always follow this antenna safety rule: the distance to the nearest power line
should be at least twice the length of the longest antenna, transmission line or support
dimension.
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
JUMPSTART, OR “REAL HAMS DON’T READ MANUALS!”
Ok, but at least read this one section before operating the AT-1000 Pro:
SAFETY WARNING: Never operate the AT-1000 Pro with the cover removed. Lethal RF
voltages are present during operation. Also, never exceed the rated specifications.
1. Turn off power to your radio and amplifier.
2. Connect the antenna jack on your amplifier to the “Transmitter” jack on the AT-1000 Pro,
using a 50 ohm coax cable jumper. You may use the supplied coax cable (rated 300W max) to
connect the exciter to the amplifier. WA RN IN G: Don’t use the supplied coax cable to
connect the amplifier to the AT-1000 Pro!
3. Connect a 50 ohm coax antenna feedline to the “ANT1” jack on the AT-1000 Pro.
4. Connect the AT-1000 Pro to a source of 11 to 15 volts DC, 1A, using the supplied coaxial DC
power plug. Press the “Power” button on the front of the AT-1000 Pro to turn on the tuner.
The “Power” LED and meter backlight will come on.
5. Turn on power to your transceiver and amplifier and select the desired operating frequency
and mode. Place the amplifier in Standby mode so that it does not operate when
transmitting.
6. Press the “Auto” button on the AT-1000 Pro to turn off fully-automatic mode. The Auto LED
will go off.
7. Transmit a carrier from the exciter of approximately 30 watts CW, FM, or AM.
8. While transmitting the carrier, momentarily press the “Tune” button on the AT-1000 Pro.
Continue transmitting the carrier until the tuning cycle stops.
9. Check the meter to see that the SWR is below 2:1 before using the amplifier.
10. Switch the amplifier to active mode; you are ready to transmit!
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
SPECIFICATIONS
Continuous frequency coverage 1.8 to 54 MHz (Including MARS, CAP, etc).
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Transmit Power Rating, 1.8 to 30 MHz:
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Single Side Band: 1000 watts
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CW: 750 Watts
•
Digital (RTTY/Packet/PSK31, etc): 500 Watts
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Transmit Power Rating, 50-54 MHz: 250 watts, all modes.
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Minimum power required for tuning: 5 Watts
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Maximum power while tuning: 125W
•
Built-in relay protection will prevent relay operation when:
•
Greater than 200 watts input power under any load.
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Greater than 150 watts input power when load is 3:1 SWR or greater.
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Built-in two position antenna switch.
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3” cross-needle illuminated Power/SWR meter with dual power scales, 0-100 and 0-1000
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watts. Selectable Peak and Average power display.
2000 memories per antenna port for instantaneous band changing.
•
Microprocessor-controlled Switched L tuning network.
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Fine tune controls for manually adjusting capacitance and inductance.
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Time required for tuning: 200 ms for memory recall; 10 seconds average full tune; 30
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seconds maximum full tune time.
Built-in frequency sensor allows instant recall of previously-tuned frequencies.
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Tunes 6 to 1000 ohm loads (About 10:1 SWR), or 16 to 150 ohm loads on 6M (3:1 SWR)
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For Dipoles, Verticals, Vees, Beams or any Coax Fed Antenna.
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Includes 6 foot DC power cable, Icom interface cable, and 300 W rated coax cable to use to
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connect your exciter to the tuner. (DON’T use this cable to connect the amplifier to the
tuner!)
Power Requirements: 11 to 15 VDC, 1.0A
•
Dimensions: 9.5”W x 13”L x 3.5”H.
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Weight: 5.2 pounds
•
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR AT-1000 PRO
Your AT-1000 Pro is a quality, precision instrument that will give you many years of
outstanding service; take a few minutes to get to know it.
Front Panel
The front panel of the AT-1000 Pro sports eight pushbutton switches and a 3” illuminated
cross-needle meter.
The front panel pushbuttons are as follows:
Power: Turns the unit on/off. Also serves as the Function button.
•
ANT1: Toggle antenna selection.
•
Auto: Turn fully automatic tuning on/off.
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C Up: Increase capacitance.
•
C Dn: Decrease capacitance.
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L Up: Increase inductance.
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L Dn: Decrease inductance.
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Tune: Initiates memory or full tuning cycle. Momentary push toggles bypass.
•
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
The Power switch on the AT-1000 Pro toggles between the “Off” and “On” modes. Note that
even in “Off” mode, the AT-1000 is not completely “off”, but rather in a very low power sleep
mode. In “Off” mode, the AT-1000 relays are completely de-energized, placing the tuner in
bypass, selecting the ANT 2 antenna, and no LEDs are illuminated. When the Power button is
pressed, to turn the AT-1000 Pro “On”, the previous relay settings are restored, including antenna
selection. The Power button must be pressed and held for 3 seconds to turn the AT-1000 Pro
“off.”
Each pushbutton contains an integrated LED that indicates the status of that button’s
function. Other tuner status may also be indicated on the LEDs; see the section “Operation LED Blink Codes” for more detail.
Most pushbuttons on the AT-1000 Pro also have a secondary function, which is activated
when the button is pushed while in Function (FUNC) mode. The button’s secondary function is
listed under the button. Function mode is entered by pushing and holding the Power button for 1
second, until all the panel LEDs light up, and then releasing.
The illuminated cross-needle meter indicates forward and reflected power, as well as SWR,
all at once. Forward power is indicated in two ranges; 0-100W and 0-1000W. If the 1000W range
is selected, multiply the indicated power by 10 to give the actual power.
Readings are accurate to ±10% across the full scale. Forward power is indicated in “Peak
Hold” mode or average power mode. In Peak Hold mode, the peak power is indicated, then held
for a moment before dropping to a lower indicated level. Power indicated is the true peak
reading. Average power mode displays instantaneous average power.
The cross-needle meter displays
SWR as the intersection of the Forward
and Reflected power indications. For
example, in the photograph at the right,
the indicated SWR is 2.0:1. The
forward power is 52 watts, the reflected
power is 6 watts, and the two needles
intersect on the red line which indicates
2.0:1 SWR.
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AT-1000 OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV C
Rear Panel
The rear panel of the AT-1000 Pro features six connectors.
ANT 1 connector: Connect a 50-ohm coax antenna feedline to this standard SO-239
•
connector.
ANT 2 connector: Connect a second 50-ohm coax antenna feedline to this SO-239
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connector, if you have a second antenna system.
GND connector (wing nut): Connect to antenna system ground.
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Transmitter connector: Connect a 50-ohm coax jumper cable from this standard SO-239
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connector to the ANT jack on the back of the amplifier.
Radio Interface connector: This 1/8” stereo jack connects to the supplied radio interface
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cable, which connects to the tuner port on the transceiver. Cables are supplied to connect to
most Icom transceivers, as well as the FT-857(D) and FT-897(D).
DC Power jack: Connect the 12V DC power cable to the 2.5mm x 5.5mm coaxial power
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jack. Center pin is positive, 12V 1A.
INSTALLATION
The AT-1000 Pro tuner is designed for indoor operation only; it is not water resistant. If you
use it outdoors (Field Day, for example), you must protect it from the rain. The AT-1000 Pro is
designed for use with coax-fed antennas. If use with longwires or ladder-line-fed antennas is
desired, an external balun is required. Be sure the balun is rated for 1000 watts or greater.
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